THE SECRET PLACE

Today’s Reading: Psalms 90-91

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

Goreme is a town in Cappadocia, an historical region of Turkey. The people who settled here built their homes within these unusual, cone-shaped hills. This area was first settled during the Roman period. Christians were persecuted and for protection they dug subterranean dwellings into the rock hillsides. The believers in Christ were literally dwelling in a secret place as our key verse says. When Christians became the majority in the region, many churches were carved out of the solid rock. These amazing structures can still be seen today. Cappadocia is mentioned several times in the New Testament, including Acts 2:9 and 1 Peter 1:1.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses: Psalm 90:1 & 91:14

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom….

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 90 is unique in that it is the only one composed by Moses. He probably wrote this during the wanderings in the wilderness for 40 years, when they had no place to call home. They could not fortify themselves against enemy attacks. Moses learned that their only safe dwelling place was in the Lord. Considering the shortness of our days, 70 to 80 years approximately, we need to pack in all the wisdom we can gain so that “the beauty of the Lord will be upon us, and the works of our hands will be established” (90:17).

Psalm 91 teaches us that the secret place with God every day (it could be this blog) is the place of security. The world can be shut out and a sense of belonging to God is ours. We’re at home in the presence of the Lord! This is true protection!!! The warmth of God’s love is here!!!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, here I am, dwelling in Your secret place. I pray that I will learn more and more to relax and dwell constantly in Your presence. Thank You for this peaceful place of complete security, for now and for eternity! This is only because of Jesus in Whose Name I ask this great mercy. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I have personally experienced the fact that God “is my refuge and fortress.” As an evangelist who has shared the message of Jesus on the streets first, and then for decades on television, I’ve had attacks on my personal integrity which had no substance, and attacks on the effectiveness of the ministries which I’ve led. I felt totally unworthy when I received an award in 2008 for “Integrity in Life and Ministry,” along with Billy Graham, who received the same honour that year, presented by the Canadian Council of Christian Charities. I believe the secret of honouring God in honesty and love to all is that consistent “secret place” time with God early every morning. My meditation contained in this daily blog happens in that “secret place.”

Yours because of the Lord’s promise to “establish the work of our hands!”

David

In another part of historic Cappadocia, the city of Kaymakli was created by persecuted Christians who excavated the relatively soft rock deep below the ground with the access opening well hidden. This is one of the below-ground rooms, and the round stone was likely a kitchen table. While this underground city consists of 8 floors below ground, only 4 of them are open to the public today, in which the spaces are organized around ventilation shafts. Archeologists think that there could have been up to 3,500 people living in this city. So far 36 underground cities have been discovered in Cappadocia.